Holland Sparks Late Rally Over SJC For Paul VI’s First WCAC Title

From the opening whistle this season, this senior-laden Paul VI (Va.) team looked determined to deliver the Panthers the first boys' lacrosse title in program history. In a league that has seen increased parity in recent years, that task wouldn't be easy.   Trailing 7-5 entering the fourth quarter, the Panthers leaned on their veterans and responded with a brilliant five-goal run that proved to be the difference in a 10-8 win over St. John's (D.C.), another senior-heavy roster loaded with college-bound talent.   The Cadets were excellent in the losing effort, executing their defensive game plan, dominating the faceoff department, and getting at least 18 saves from Penn State-bound goalkeeper Ryan Inzer. Sophomore midfielder [player_tooltip player_id='125974' first='Nash' last='Parker'] added a stellar showing of his own to lead SJC's offense. In the end, though, the Panthers simply made too many winning plays, scrapping relentlessly to overcome the face-off disparity. Let's get to PVI's standouts:    Holland has been phenomenal all year, but saved some of his best lacrosse for last. The uber-talented lefty got the scoring started midway through the first quarter, then tallied three goals in the final 10 minutes to ultimately give the Panthers the win. On his first goal, he caught a pass on EMO while loaded and ripped a sidearm beauty high, then added an assist to [player_tooltip player_id='175127' first='Colton' last='Sirois'] in transition during the second quarter in the second quarter in transition. In the fourth quarter, a teammate created space for Holland to dodge from behind the cage, and from there, he curled around the crease, threw a fake, and finished past Inzer. Next, he made a wonderful individual effort, starting his dodge from up top with his right hand, beating his man near the hash to free his hands, then shot with his left, with the defender screening the goalie. After Inzer had an eye-popping three-save flurry around the five-minute mark of the fourth quarter, Holland was the one to stymie him, picking up a groundball and racing topside before burying one from the hash. Top to bottom, that fourth quarter stretch from Holland was one of the more clutch playoff performances I've seen in the last few years and was a huge reason why PVI emerged victorious. He'll undoubtedly receive a significant rankings bump in the final update.     Along with several other PVI defenders, Shearer's fingerprints were all over the Panthers' win on Monday night. Confrontational and tenacious, Shearer was constantly throwing his body around to make his presence felt, yet he still played under control and with discipline. On one occasion, he laid a hit to alter a shot attempt on a prime scoring opportunity in the second half. On another, he matched feet behind the cage and caused a turnover on a poke check as time wound down in the third quarter, having tallied another CT/GB combo early in the third quarter. Shearer picked up some big groundballs in traffic, played great help defense, and was an integral part of the puzzle when PVI was in both man and zone. Overall, I love the way he plays and can envision him becoming a contributor at Jacksonville.     Wheatley is a bona fide warrior whose relentless competitive edge and playmaking ability directly contributed to the win, especially in the middle of the field during that pivotal second half. For one, he made an unreal play on the sideline in a 2v1 groundball situation to preserve possession for PVI when they sorely needed the ball in the middle of the third quarter. In the fourth, he had a huge groundball and cleared after an SJC middie lost the ball. Whether he was lined up on the wing or at the face-off stripe himself (as he's often been all season), Wheatley's pressure helped win back possession after the Cadets won the initial face-off. He's a special player who looks poised to make a big impact at the next level, as will current and future CNU teammate [player_tooltip player_id='175129' first='Braiden' last='Galaida'], who posted two goals in the third quarter.     Elite players impact the game even when the opposing team's game plan is focused on taking the ball out of their hands and limiting their ability to create plays — something SJC did extremely well. But on Monday night, Gilmore still found ways to make a huge impact despite finishing with a modest stat line that didn't include a goal, a rarity for the soon-to-be Spider. He forced multiple turnovers, including a vicious two-handed tomahawk chop to strip his opponent, and added another takeaway immediately after lining up for a face-off. Gilmore tossed an assist on EMO in the first quarter, and then added another on a pretty tic-tac-toe transition play. Despite his offensive output being limited, the attention being put towards stopping Gilmore continually opened things up for his teammates. He's a special athlete and lacrosse player whose skills will be needed, given how much Richmond loses from its outgoing class. This isn't a one-for-one comparison, but there's a little Charlie Packard in his game when it comes to his compete level and two-way prowess, though he's more likely to make a Joe Sheridan-esque impact on the offensive end. Either way, I'm really excited to see how the Spiders deploy him at the next level.     Kovacs was terrific on Monday night, recording double-digit saves, including five stops each in the second and third quarters, according to my very unofficial tally. The Lehigh commit's performance followed his 14-save showing (with four goals allowed) in the WCAC semifinals against Gonzaga. In the win over St. John's, he had a beautiful save on a bouncer that was among several massive stops on low offerings, then had a ridiculous offside stick save early in the second half. Throughout the year, I've been incredibly impressed by Kovacs' poise across the board, as he's super quiet and disciplined before the shot, playing angles impeccably well, too. He constantly factored into the 10-man ride, though he did have a mental error on the clear where he got caught watching the play ahead of him and let in an empty netter. Fortunately for Kovacs, that didn't end up mattering in the grand scheme of things. When it comes to the '26 goalie class, Kovacs has arguably been the biggest riser. Kasey Heath still has one more year between the pipes at Lehigh, and I see Kovacs having a similar impact as a possible three-year starter for the Mountain Hawks.

From the opening whistle this season, this senior-laden Paul VI (Va.) team looked determined to deliver the Panthers the first boys' lacrosse title in program history. In a league that has seen increased parity in recent years, that task wouldn't be easy.